Students collect 50K signatures in 3 days to demand gun control

Posted Feb 18, 2018

Students gather during a vigil at Pine Trails Park for the victims of Wednesday's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)(Brynn Anderson)

KALAMAZOO, MI -- High school students are pressuring legislators to pass gun control policies in the wake of another violent shooting last week in Florida.

A Change.org petition, "Students Fighting Guns Since Adults Won't," calls on state and federal representatives to pass "comprehensive and responsible gun control policy." The petition has garnered more than 50,000 signatures and growing, just three days after being created by a group of seven Kalamazoo Central High School students.

"Adults have failed us," the petition states. "Everyday, we students walk into school with the promise of an education without threat of violence. However, it has become increasingly clear that hallways of schools across America are no longer a guaranteed safe haven."

Seventeen people were gunned down last Wednesday in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The violence was captured on cellphone video by terrified students and quickly broadcast through to millions through social media platforms as it was happening.

Kalamazoo Central student Jackson Henning, 18, said he identified with students who recorded themselves reacting to sounds of gunfire crack across the hallway while huddled beneath their desks. It could happen anywhere, he said, and without warning.

It's no longer a question of if it could happen, he said, it's a matter of when, where and to whom.

In the hours and days since the tragedy, teen survivors have called for action on gun reform. Students mourned and rallied publicly after the massacre, some pleading for gun reforms.

Henning and six other Kalamazoo students decided they could help drive the issue while sitting in an AP comparative government class. By the end of the period, the petition was online.

"We'd really like to give students a voice in their desire for more gun control legislation," he said. "Obviously there has been a trend in these shootings where not a lot of legislation has been passed. Since students are the victims of many of these shootings, we feel that our safety is in question."

Though most high school students can't vote, the organizers want their voices heard. Henning said it's the responsibility of the government to prevent the violence on school grounds.

"We should try to do something different to maybe bring about change, mobilizing a student coalition," he said. "It's something that hasn't really occurred in the past, though if we could accomplish that it could bring about something new."

Democratic Michigan senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph are listed as decision makers on the petition. Henning said the group also included representatives of Florida and Connecticut due to their connections to mass shooting incidents.

In an email to MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette, Upton said he's been in contact with legislators on both sides of the aisle. He plans to meet with local law enforcement, students, and others to discuss "common-sense" solutions.

"We hear these students loud and clear and we all share in the heartbreak from the senseless tragedy in Florida," he said. "Guns must be kept out of the hands of dangerous, unstable individuals and our law enforcement needs all the tools in the toolbox which is why I have always supported robust background checks ... Nothing should be off the table: Our kids must be safe from violence at school. Period."

The group has also begun sending letters to meet with local representatives in the Michigan legislature. The letter asks elected officials to enact gun legislation that requires background checks on the purchase of all long guns and semi-automatic weapons.

Henning said he hasn't received any responses yet.

"We think there is no harm in trying to solve (school shootings) with gun bills," he said. "Take that action and see what happens."

President Donald Trump stressed the need to address mental health concerns and criticized the FBI for not acting on several warnings that the alleged shooter was dangerous. He also called for improvements to school security while other GOP officials including, including House Speaker Paul Ryan caution against hasty calls to tighten gun laws.

Last Febuary, Kalamazoo Public Schools became a gun-free district. In front of a packed room of activist groups, parents and students, the Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to pass a policy prohibiting all weapons from school-affiliated property, regardless of a concealed weapons permit.

Critics say removing all guns from schools makes them a soft target for would-be shooters. Posting armed security guards at public schools is a solution often offered in lieu of stricter gun laws.

Law enforcement officers posted at Kalamazoo schools are still able to carry weapons.

An armed security guard never got the chance to stop the teen gunman who murdered 17 students and staffers in Florida -- police said accused mass murderer Nikolas Cruz never encountered the school resource deputy.

Meanwhile, Kalamazoo Central High School students are taught how to respond to active shooter incidents. Lockdown drills are practiced "pretty regularly," Henning said.

The petition has a goal of 50,000 signatures. Support is growing quickly, increasing by several thousand Sunday.

"On a positive note, I'd say that it has been really incredible to see all the support people have given us in a short amount of time," Henning said. "It shows people are valuing what we are saying and they share those views. It's beautiful to see."